SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTA process – not an event

Summative assessment“Information is used by the teacher to summarize learning at a given point in time. This summary is used to make judgments about the quality of student learning on the basis of established criteria, to assign a value to represent that quality, and to support the communication of information about achievement to students themselves, parents, teachers, and others.” (Growing Success, p. 31)

Things to think about• Is summative assessment an event or a process?• Does your summative assessment take into account

the students’ learning over time?• What mathematics is assessed? Important

mathematical ideas? The big understandings?• What data is gathered and how is it put together? • How certain are you of your judgment of what

students know and can do?

The big challenge• What data is gathered and how is it put together?

• How certain are you of your judgment of what students know and can do?

How do we know what students know and can do?

Summative assessment – process or event?

• Performance tasks• Collection of student work over time • Portfolios• Exams

What can these forms tell us? What do they not tell us?

Learning over time? How does that fit in?

PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENTAs ONE example of what summative assessment might look like

Why use portfolios?• Shows growth over time• Students take ownership for their own learning• Includes reflective piece – develop metacognitive skills• Different types of portfolios demonstrate different aspects

of learning

Different types of portfolio• Working portfolio• Showcase portfolio• Portfolios for particular purposes:

• Problem solving portfolio• Mathematical processes portfolio• Perspective on math• Learning skills portfolio

Components of a portfolio• Samples of student work• Written work samples• Photos of models of

work• Videos of groups

working• Audiotapes of

conferencing

• Student reflections• Each piece of work is

accompanied by the student’s reflection as to why it was included

Problem solving portfolio• Include pieces of work that demonstrate

• How working with others helped you solve a problem• How using a variety of tools helped you solve a problem• That you needed to persevere to solve the problem• That you needed to connect different mathematical ideas

Portfolios I have used• Empowering grade 10 general – attitudes towards math• Problem solving portfolio• Learning skills portfolio• Intermediate mathematics methods

• (curriculum knowledge, professional knowledge, professional practice)

• Graduate course – formative assessment

Portfolios I imagine as summative assessments

• Focused on the processes• Focused on the overall expectations of the course

• Growth portfolios